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Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" or "Midsummer Night Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by fan vote for the starting position players and by the manager for pitchers and reserve players. The All-Star Game usually occurs in early to mid-July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Major League Baseball (MLB) season (though not the mathematical halfway point; in most seasons, the game actually takes place after about 55% of the season has been completed), and since 2003 it has been used to determine home field advantage for the upcoming World Series. The league winning the All-Star Game plays at home in Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the World Series. The losing League plays at home in Games 3. 4. and 5. (Off-days after the 2nd and 5th (if necessary) games). The first All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, and was the brainchild of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune. Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. Choosing the Venue The venue is chosen by Major League Baseball and traditionally alternates between the two leagues every year (this tradition was first broken in 1951, when the Detroit Tigers were chosen to host the annual game as part of the city's 250th birthday at Briggs Stadium, and will be broken again in 2007, when the San Francisco Giants will be the host for the 2007 All-Star Game. Another NL team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, hosted the 2006 event. The "home team" is the league in which the host franchise plays its games. The criteria for choosing the venue are subjective; for the most part, cities with new parks and cities who have not hosted the game in a long time (or never before for teams that came into being in the 1990s) tend to get the nod. In 2005, Comerica Park, the new home of the Tigers, hosted the Midsummer Classic for the first time, the city of Detroit having last hosted the game in 1971. The last All-Star Game to be played in a stadium that was not hosting its first All-Star Game was the 1999 game in Boston's Fenway Park. To date, only three franchises have never hosted a game: the Florida Marlins, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (the Washington Nationals hosted the game when they were the Montreal Expos). The city of Washington hosted the All-Star Game in 1969 when the Texas Rangers franchise was in Washington. The designated hitter rule is applied based on the league in which the host team plays. In an American League ballpark, both teams use a designated hitter to hit for the pitcher. In a National League ballpark, lineups schedule the pitcher to hit, though pinch hitters are almost always used. The last instance in which a pitcher took his scheduled at-bat was in 2004, as the American League lineup batted around (viz., sent all nine members of the starting lineup to bat at least once in one inning) the National League starting pitcher, Roger Clemens, in the first inning, enabling AL starter Mark Mulder to bat (Clemens struck him out). He was not eligible to be replaced by a pinch hitter, as the starting pitcher in any game must pitch to the first spot in the batting order. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07130NLS2004.htm Bold text The rosters The manager for each league's team has for many years been the manager of the previous year's league champion. Note that this honor is applied to the person, not the team, so it's possible that the All-Star manager could no longer be with the team he won with, as happened in 2003, when Dusty Baker managed the National League team despite having moved from the champion San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs in the offseason (however, Baker had at least moved to a different team in the same league. If he had switched to an American Lea ue team, or left baseball entirely, his eligibility to manage the All-Star Game would have been in question. There is some precedent for the later scenario: on two separate occasions, Bob Lemon managed the American League team after having been fired by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner). The coaching staff is selected by the manager. Each team consists of 32 players, selected in one of the following ways, listed in order: * Fan voting: Baseball fans vote on the starting position players for the All-Star Game, with ballots distributed at baseball games before mid-season and, more recently, on the Internet. When the game is played at an American League park, the designated hitter for the AL team is also selected in this manner. * Player voting: As of 2005, pitchers and one back-up player for each position are elected by the other players. If the top vote-getter at a certain position is also being voted in via fan voting, then the second-place finisher in this category is chosen for the team. * Manager selection (first): The manager and the Commissioner's Office will fill the roster up to 31 players. * Final vote: After the lists of 31 players for each league is announced, fans will vote for one additional player, chosen from a list of 5 players provided by the manager and the Commissioner's Office. * Manager selection (second): After the final vote, the manager and the Commissioner's Office will replace players who are injured or declined to participate. Each major league team is guaranteed to have at least one player selected to participate, though single players from poor teams are occasionally not used (Mark Redman of the Kansas City Royals was the last to be selected and was not be put into the game by the manager). Between 1935 and 1946, the manager of each All-Star squad selected the entire team. Fans received the right to vote on the eight starters (excluding the pitcher) starting in 1947. In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot box as a result of a promotion by a local newspaper which printed pre-marked ballots, and elected a Red to every position except first base. Commissioner Ford Frick stepped in and removed two Reds from the lineup. As a response to this fiasco, the right to elect the non-pitching starters was taken away from the fans until 1970. From 1958 through 1969, players, coaches, and managers made the choices. One of the most controversial aspects of the player selection process is a rule that each team has to have at least one representative on its league's All-Star roster. While this rule made sense in baseball's pre-expansion days, when there were only eight teams in each league, many now consider it to be outdated since there are now almost twice as many Major League teams in existence. Opponents of the rule contend that the purpose of the game is to spotlight MLB's best players, and many superior players get left off the roster in favor of less deserving players from weaker teams. Supporters of the rule maintain that if the rule were dropped, a small number of powerful teams could end up dominating most of the available roster space. Also, supporters of the rule say that it gives fans from every team (even the poor teams) a reason to watch the game-the reason being that if the game were dominated only by players from a few top teams many fans wouldn't watch because they wouldn't have a favorite or familiar player to follow. A number of compromises have been suggested, such as limiting the number of representatives a particular team could have, or requiring that a certain percentage of teams be represented. However, Major League Baseball has not indicated that it is considering altering or eliminating the rule in any form. by mr.begay Ties At Fenway Park in Boston on July 31, 1961, the first All-Star Game tie in history occurred when the game was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain. Following a highly controversial situation in the 2002 game when both teams ran out of pitchers in the 11th inning, and in response Commissioner Bud Selig declared the game over, Major League Baseball changed the rules to give the All-Star game "meaning" and additional incentive for victory. From the 2003 season up to the present, the league that won the All-Star Game was to be given home-field advantage for the World Series (something Selig is considering ending, as the AL is unbeaten in every All-Star Game since 1997). Previously, home field advantage in the World Series alternated between the two leagues each year. Even under the new rules, there is no guarantee that a repeat of the 2002 situation might not occur. The game could still be called a "suspended game" in which case it would become a tie if no make-up date was scheduled. It would be extremely difficult to find such a make-up date: Major League Baseball would have to postpone one or more days of the regular season and/or schedule the make-up date on the travel day between the regular season and the Division Series. Also, one team or the other could alternatively forfeit the game by refusing to continue (see: Major League Baseball's "Official Rules: 4.00 Starting and Ending a Game"). http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/official_rules/start_end_4.jsp Oddities *In 1945, with severe wartime travel restrictions in effect, the All-Star Game scheduled to be played at Boston's Fenway Park was canceled. *There were two All-Star Games played each season from 1959 to 1962. The second game was added to raise money for the players' pension funds, as well as other causes. *Of the eighteen players who started the 1934 All-Star Game, only one, Wally Berger, is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. *The 1981 game in Cleveland was moved from its original July date to Sunday night, August 9. It was the first non-exhibition game played after the end of the players' strike, with second half play beginning the next afternoon with a game in Wrigley Field in Chicago. The 1981 game is the only game to be played on a weekend. *In 1995, because of the players' strike in 1994, the managers of the unofficial league champions (by best record), who were each rewarded as winners of the Manager of the Year Award, were awarded the right to manage the 1995 teams -- Montreal's Felipe Alou and the Yankees' Buck Showalter. Stuffing the ballot box 1947 was the first year that baseball allowed fans to vote for the starters on the All-Star team. In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot box and elected 7 Reds players to start in the All-Star Game. They were: :Johnny Temple, 2B :Roy McMillan, SS :Don Hoak, 3B :Ed Bailey, C :Frank Robinson, LF :Gus Bell, CF :Wally Post, RF The only non-Red elected to start for the National League was St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Stan Musial. While the Reds were known to be a great offensive team with many outstanding position players, most baseball observers agreed that they did not deserve seven starters in the All-Star Game. An investigation showed that over half of the ballots cast came from Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Enquirer had printed up pre-marked ballots and distributed them with the Sunday newspaper to make it easy to vote early and often. There were even stories of bars in Cincinnati not serving alcohol to customers until they filled out a ballot. Commissioner Ford Frick decided to appoint Willie Mays of the New York Giants and Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves to substitute for Reds players Gus Bell and Wally Post. In addition, Frick decided to strip the fans of their voting rights. Managers, players, and coaches picked the entire team again until 1969, when the vote again returned to the fans. To guard against further ballot stuffing, since 1969, each team has been given the same number of ballots to hand out. In 1998, that number was roughly 400,000 ballots. Since the dawn of the internet age, online voting has again raised fears of ballot stuffing. Yet Major League Baseball assures its fans that they have taken precautions to guard against this. Other All-Star Weekend Events Since 1985, the Home Run Derby, a contest between home run hitters, has been played on the day before the All-Star Game. Also, a celebrity softball game is held the day before the Home Run Derby. The teams are usually a mixture of former stars from the host team's past, plus some celebrities from music, film, and television. Since 1999, the All-Star Futures Game has been held during All Star weekend. The two teams, one consisting of young players from the United States and the other consisting of young players from all other nations, are usually chosen based on prospect status in the minor leagues. Major League Baseball All-Star Games (1933-present) Year Winner Score Venue/Host team MVP 1933 American 4-2 Comiskey Park, Chicago White Sox 1934 American 9-7 Polo Grounds, New York Giants 1935 American 4-1 Municipal Stadium, Cleveland Indians 1936 National 4-3 Braves Field, Boston Braves 1937 American 8-3 Griffith Stadium, Washington Senators 1938 National 4-1 Crosley Field, Cincinnati Reds 1939 American 3-1 Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees 1940 National 4-0 Sportsman's Park, St. Louis Cardinals 1941 American 7-5 Briggs Stadium, Detroit Tigers 1942 American 3-1 Polo Grounds, New York Giants 1943 American 5-3 Shibe Park, Philadelphia Athletics 1944 National 7-1 Forbes Field, Pittsburgh Pirates 1945 Not held. 1946 American 12-0 Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox 1947 American 2-1 Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs 1948 American 5-2 Sportsman's Park, St. Louis Browns 1949 American 11-7 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn Dodgers 1950 National 4-3 (14 innings) Comiskey Park, Chicago White Sox 1951 National 8-3 Briggs Stadium, Detroit Tigers 1952 National 3-2 (5 innings, rain) Shibe Park, Philadelphia Phillies 1953 National 5-1 Crosley Field, Cincinnati Reds 1954 American 11-9 Municipal Stadium, Cleveland Indians 1955 National 6-5 (12 innings) County Stadium, Milwaukee Braves 1956 National 7-3 Griffith Stadium, Washington Senators 1957 American 6-5 Sportsman's Park, St. Louis Cardinals 1958 American 4-3 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore Orioles 1959-a National 5-4 Forbes Field, Pittsburgh Pirates 1959-b American 5-3 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Dodgers 1960-a National 5-3 Municipal Stadium, Kansas City Athletics 1960-b National 6-0 Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees 1961-a National 5-4 (10 innings) Candlestick Park, San Francisco Giants 1961-b TIE rain 1-1 (9 innings, rain) Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox 1962-a National 3-1 D.C. Stadium, Washington Senators Maury Wills, Los Angeles (NL) 1962-b American 9-4 Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs Leon Wagner, Los Angeles (AL) 1963 National 5-3 Municipal Stadium, Cleveland Indians Willie Mays, San Francisco (NL) 1964 National 7-4 Shea Stadium, New York Mets Johnny Callison, Philadelphia (NL) 1965 National 6-5 Metropolitan Stadium, Minnesota Twins Juan Marichal, San Francisco (NL) 1966 National 2-1 (10 innings) Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals Brooks Robinson, Baltimore (AL) 1967 National 2-1 (15 innings) Anaheim Stadium, California Angels Tony Perez, Cincinnati (NL) 1968 National 1-0 Astrodome, Houston Astros Willie Mays, San Francisco (NL) 1969 National 9-3 RFK Stadium, Washington Senators Willie McCovey, San Francisco (NL) 1970 National 5-4 (12 innings) Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Reds Carl Yastrzemski, Boston (AL) 1971 American 6-4 Tiger Stadium, Detroit Tigers Frank Robinson, Baltimore (AL) 1972 National 4-3 (10 innings) Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta Braves Joe Morgan, Cincinnati (NL) 1973 National 7-1 Royals Stadium, Kansas City Royals Bobby Bonds, San Francisco (NL) 1974 National 7-2 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh Pirates Steve Garvey, Los Angeles (NL) 1975 National 6-3 County Stadium, Milwaukee Brewers Jon Matlack, New York (NL) Bill Madlock, Chicago (NL) 1976 National 7-1 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia Phillies George Foster, Cincinnati (NL) 1977 National 7-5 Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees Don Sutton, Los Angeles (NL) 1978 National 7-3 San Diego Stadium, San Diego Padres Steve Garvey, Los Angeles (NL) 1979 National 7-6 Kingdome, Seattle Mariners Dave Parker, Pittsburgh (NL) 1980 National 4-2 Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers Ken Griffey, Sr., Cincinnati (NL) 1981 National 5-4 Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland Indians Gary Carter, Montreal (NL) 1982 National 4-1 Olympic Stadium, Montreal Expos Dave Concepcion, Cincinnati (NL) 1983 American 13-3 Comiskey Park, Chicago White Sox Fred Lynn, California (AL) 1984 National 3-1 Candlestick Park, San Francisco Giants Gary Carter, Montreal (NL) 1985 National 6-1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minnesota Twins LaMarr Hoyt, San Diego (NL) 1986 American 3-2 Astrodome, Houston Astros Roger Clemens, Boston (AL) 1987 National 2-0 (13 innings) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland Athletics Tim Raines, Montreal (NL) 1988 American 2-1 Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Reds Terry Steinbach, Oakland (AL) 1989 American 5-3 Anaheim Stadium, California Angels Bo Jackson, Kansas City (AL) 1990 American 2-0 Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs Julio Franco, Texas (AL) 1991 American 4-2 SkyDome, Toronto Blue Jays Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore (AL) 1992 American 13-6 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego Padres Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle (AL) 1993 American 9-3 Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles Kirby Puckett, Minnesota (AL) 1994 National 8-7 (10 innings) Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh Pirates Fred McGriff, Atlanta (NL) 1995 National 3-2 The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas Rangers Jeff Conine, Florida (NL) 1996 National 6-0 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia Phillies Mike Piazza, Los Angeles (NL) 1997 American 3-1 Jacobs Field, Cleveland Indians Sandy Alomar, Cleveland (AL) 1998 American 13-8 Coors Field, Colorado Rockies Roberto Alomar, Baltimore (AL) 1999 American 4-1 Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox Pedro Martínez, Boston (AL) 2000 American 6-3 Turner Field, Atlanta Braves Derek Jeter, New York (AL) 2001 American 4-1 Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore (AL) 2002 TIE insufficient players 7-7 (11 innings) Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers none 2003 American 7-6 U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago White Sox Garret Anderson, Anaheim (AL) 2004 American 9-4 Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros Alfonso Soriano, Texas (AL) 2005 American 7-5 Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers Miguel Tejada, Baltimore (AL) 2006 American 3-2 PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates Michael Young, Texas (AL) 2007 American 5-4 AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants Ichiro Suzuki |- |2008 | | | | |- |2009 | | | | |- |2010 | | | | See also *List of Major League Baseball All-Star Game broadcasters *Major League Baseball All-Star Games in Pittsburgh External links *BaseballLibrary.com - All-Star Game *All-Star Games by Baseball Almanac : A Midsummer Classic Analysis *Major League Baseball : Events : All-Star Game * All-Star Game All-Star Game * *